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THOMAS S. MINNISS, 0F MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

l Letters Patent No. 61,231, dated January 15, 1867-.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOUOMOTIVES FOR vPLOIIGrHIliTGi, Gto.

TO ALL WIIOM IT MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. MINNIss, of the city of Meadville, in the county of Crawford, and State liii' Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Locomotive for use on common roads, towing boats, ploughing, mowing, tc. g and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and enact description thereof, reference `being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. l

The nature of my invention consists in placing upon the ground, in straight lines, and parallel with cach' other, a series of wheels, pulleys, or rollers, to be laid downrand taken up in successive links, so that a platform of rails, with corresponding ways or grooves, shall fitto and pass freely on their upper surfaces, by meanso an endless belt or chain passing over` coggedor other suitable wheels, operated by steamor any other vmotor that will apply. A v

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my inventiomI will proceed to describe itsl construction and operation.

Figure 1 is atop view of the open frame A A, with its sunken track, 'i T, a side view of which is seen in fig. 3. l

'Figure 2 is a top viewV of the locomotive, ready for the boiler and'engi'nes. B B B B are'cha'in floors, D D D D are .tho driving-wheels, L is the crauk-shaft, M M are slip-couplings, and N N are levers to throw them in and out ci" gear; II is the guide-wheel, and Gis the guiding-lever; O is'a platform, hinged at K to the mai. platform, so that, .whenmeeessary an increased weight may be thrown upon the guide-wheelnlrv the lever I, articulatedl to the stein J, operating by an eccentric, and depressing 0. (See dotted lines in tig. 3,

and the sectional View, Figure 7.)

Figure 3 is a side View, the same letters referring to like parts in the other figures. i;

Figure 4 is a transverse end view of one side of a double machine. (i)

Figure 5 is a detached link, with knuckles Q Q Q, wheels C C, axle F, ears or bearings E E, and floor B. I construct my chain with the kn'ucklcsvof the hinges projecting outwards, so as to prevent slipping, and cach knuckle bevellcd at its ends, so that they will slide more freely in turning the machine round.

For towing boats, travelling on common roads, and thc like, I intend to use but one frame and chainpbut -will arch the frame up so high that a man can pass freely under; and on the floor I would place the boiler, with nn engine placed on eachdside, geared directly to thc driving-wheels. (See skeleton frame, Figure 6.) Instead ot` having the iicxible apron or platform O hinged to the connecting floor or platform oi' a double machine, I will hinge it to a projecting lioor on cach side of' the single track, and raise or depress it, either with an eccentric and lever, or with a screw. The guide-wheel H, I make very broad, so as not to sink in soft ground, having a sharp ring round its centre, so as to direct it with greater certainty. I tix a hollow post to the front of the apron, through which the stem of the guide-wheel II passes, and is operated by the level' Gr, or any equivalent appliance. The main object in making the machine double is the greater facility it gives 'in turning round.' In ploughing, for instance, I would, at the end of a furrow, disconnect one side, by means of the slip-coupling; then, by holding the guide-wheel at right angles with the direction of the chain, and depressing the lever I, will relieve the front of the frame, and transfer the weight to the guide-wheel then, by both engines operating on tin` connected chain, will canse it to perform a halt` circle round the disconnected hind driver, and then start buck just the width of thc machine on the unploughed ground; and, with ploughs having reversible mouldbonrds, land can be ploughed continuously, without dead furrows, (the throwI of the furrows boing all in one direction anda single machine, by having right-hand ploughs atone curb-and left-hand at the other, and with a flexible apron and guide-wheel at euch end, can do the same thing without turning at all,`c'xcept that it will take sonic running back and forth at the ends to shift it to a new line ot' furrows. I claim nothing for ploughs or their attachments in this, as I intend to make them thc subject of another patent; for with this machine ploughing and harrowing, planting, sowing, or drilling, and rolling can, when required, all be done with one operationt To make a practical single machine of, say ten-horse power, I would make a strong bottom frame of wood or iron, twelve or fifteen feet long, and about four feet wide, covered with a tight iron floor. 'Io the outer (frigos or sides of the frame A, I would secure anglc-iron, three-quarters of an inch thick, with lianges two inches wide, and bend it into shape over head, for a track and guide to the wheels c c, as in lig. b, 'l l. I would make .the track on the outside of the guido or flange', (instead ofvinsida) so that any dirt that might'fall on the track would be crushed o` and fall outside the machine.l The floor of the chain I would make of one and nquarter inch oak plank, each link say four feet by two feet the longest way across -the chain. wjthhinge,

- milde of ,thin wrought iron, the whole width of the chain; and I would also make the ears\or bearings E E to hinge together on a linel with the strap hinges, and all well bolted or riveted to the door plank. The bearings E E, I would make of either cast or wroughti-ron, and to come up so :is to give a free bearing on both sides to n. wheel ten. inches in diameter, one and n half inch thick at the rim, swelled to two inches at the xb, with sides corrugated like spokes, to ineke it light und streng, with an axle, F, one anda halt' inch in 4diameter, extending beyond the bea-rings on each side the machine two inches, for the-drivers to take hold of;- or, instead of `the axle,y a projection can be cast on the side bearing for the drivers to gear to. I make my s n w n 4 v cham to hinge en lts outside or-lengest surnice, so as to malte 1t continuously unbroken; for, if hinged in any other place, it would open in going round the curves, and grasp up di'rt'las it closed into a straight line again.

. I hang my pulleys or wheels in the middle of the link, so as to' leave beth ends free'to yield to the ineqhalities kof Vthe ground, while the Wheels still retain their bearing against the-track. But it must be remembered lthat when the wheels are thus hung in the middle of the links, they will .not come round o' o. 'truc halt` circle into a straight line, which they would do if-hung directly over the hinges but the curve must be elliptical, to prevent .the front end of erich link, as it comes into bearing on the ground, being thrust below the line of those under the stralvht rail.' To ro'ect the' curve re uired You must make the distance between the foci inst er ual tc the P J l D l i width of the ellipse; Iz'. e., if the greatestl width of the ellipse is threefeet, then your foci must bo that distance eport. Off the'end of'such a lcurve the chain will come into al straight line, with all the wheels bearing. (See dotted lines in iig. It is not absolutely necessary that the wheels C C should have a bearing on the track while they are in the grasp of the driversV D D; but as the space is so short, the track' may as well be endless.

The drivers can operate on the chain either inside or outside of the track. The upright posts R R are firmly 'united at top and bottom, to furnish bearingsl for the shafts or axles of the drivers. (See ligs. 3, 4, and 6.)

The .stem Jis abar of iron, one by two inches, which is firmly bolted to 'the trent fof the main platform P on the under side, and extending forward under O about one-third its widtl1,;wl1 ere it is turned up at right y angles through the 4door oto.` It must drop er bend 'a little after it leaves P,so as' to allow O to fall below L the liel'of P; and the stem, instead of being rigid where it is'turned up, should be joi'nt edas in g. 7,so Y that the eccentric willroll instead of rub, when operated by its lever I; or thebar J may be bolted on the .top of P` and bend up instead of down, and be operated in the same way; or, with :tl screw through J, ,with long stem to it, and. wheel at top,the operator could force down O with ease. Where the locomotive is of a Iig-ht structure,t'o be used on a irin surface only, I would dispens with the plank of the door, and use enlythe skeleton of bearings E E and hinges Q Q; in which case the skeleton chain 'may be made as in Figures 10 and '1l-1; and if a spring is desiredl each link may be made as in Figure 12.

What I claim asmyinvcntion, a/nd desireto secure by Letters Patent, is 1. An endless chain or track, composed of plates B, hinged .as described, with vertical flanges E, und truck l Q, n combination with the frame-track A andi'xwheel D, as and for the purpose set forth.

I 2. The clutch M, operated by lever N, in described combination withwheel D and endless chain or track, for the purpose specii ed.

. 3. The platform O, with guide-wheel H,`arm T, and cam-headed lever I, as and for the purpose set forth.

THOS. S. MINNISS. Witnesses:

H. B. Bnooxs,l J. B. COMPTON. 

